Chapter 166: Chapter 166: More Exhalation, Less Inhalation
“No need, Uncle Jiang, I know the way.” Yu Cheng was never fond of troubling others.
Without waiting for Jiang Changhai to speak, Su Wanyu waved her hand generously, “Don’t be polite with your Uncle Jiang. Your aunt won’t rest easy if you go alone.”
Jiang Mianmian also nodded her little head and said, “Right, Brother Yu, don’t worry, we will buy the clothes for you.”
“Okay,” Yu Cheng, unable to refuse such kindness, looked especially gentle.
The next day was Sunday and Jiang Mianmian didn’t have to go to school, so she slept in with her mom until they woke up naturally.
By the time they got up, Jiang Changhai and Yu Cheng had already left, and it was well past breakfast time.
The mother and daughter quickly had two bowls of milk essence with biscuits to fill their stomachs, and then took some money to go on a shopping spree in town.
When Sun Lixia learned that they were off to spend money and have fun in town, she felt sour and annoyed, and called out in a bad tone, “Zhaodi, take the clothes to the river and wash them clean.”
“Oh,” Zhaodi obediently picked up the basin full of clothes and went to the river to wash them.
The river water in winter was bone-chillingly cold, and washing clothes was truly a miserable task.
In the village, those who could afford it and were willing to use firewood would warm up a big pot of water to wash clothes.
But Zhang Guihua, wanting to save on firewood, never let them wash clothes at home.
The girls could only wait for the sun to come out at noon and warm up a bit before heading to the river to wash clothes.
Zhaodi, being small, carried the full basin of clothes tottering towards the river.
When she arrived, she first soaked the clothes in the basin so they would be easier to wash later.
Then, she took out a thinner piece of clothing and slowly scrubbed it by the river, her tiny, skinny hands quickly turning bright red from the icy water.
But Zhaodi didn’t stop scrubbing; she was already used to this kind of life.
After washing for more than an hour, Zhaodi finally got the full basin of clothes clean. She stood up to straighten her back and moved her numb legs and feet around.
As she bent down to pick up the basin, her feet slipped, and with a “plop,” her head went right into the icy river water.
Zhaodi couldn’t swim, and her cotton-padded jacket quickly soaked up water, becoming heavy and dragging her down.
She had used up too much energy washing clothes. Now suddenly falling into the water and both startled and scared, she only thrashed a couple of times before she ran out of strength.
Luckily, two boys were playing by the river and saw her fall in. They immediately started yelling for help, “Help! Help! Someone’s fallen into the water!”
The other one even ran towards the village, shouting as he went.
It just so happened that Old Man Ge, who was taking a stroll outside, heard the commotion. He immediately ran to the riverside and jumped in to rescue the now-unconscious Zhaodi.
Once on the shore, Old Man Ge turned the child in his arms over for a look and realized, “Oh, it’s the Jiang Family’s girl. She’s breathing more out than in now.”
So, he quickly laid her flat on the ground and started giving her chest compressions, one after another.
After pressing for quite some time, Zhaodi finally coughed out several mouthfuls of water.
Once she resumed normal breathing, Old Man Ge finally took a breath of relief.
“Old Uncle Ge, is Zhaodi okay?” The little boy who had been shouting for help watched Old Man Ge’s actions and, now seeing Zhaodi spitting out the water, dared to speak and inquire.
“She’s fine, I’ll take Zhaodi home. You guys go play somewhere else and stay away from the river from now on,” Old Man Ge instructed before carrying Zhaodi off towards the Jiang Family’s home.
The two little boys watched Old Man Ge leave, glanced fearfully at the river, and then turned in unison, running back towards the village.
They would never come to play by the river again!